The Irish Ballad (Rickety Tickety Tin) . . . Tom Lehrer

Of a maid I'll sing a you song Sing rickety tickety tin . . Of a maid I'll sing you a song,  Who didn't have her family long
    Not only did she do them wrong,  She did every one of them in, them in, She did every one of them in.
One morning in a fit of pique sing rickety tickety tin :| She drowned her father in the creek
     The water tasted bad for a week, So they had to make do with gin, with gin, They had to make do with gin
Her mother she could never stand sing rickety tickety tin :| And so a cyanide soup she planned
     They say she died with the spoon in her hand, And her face in a hideous grin, a grin, He face in a hideous grin.
She weighted her brother down with stones sing rickety tickety tin :| And sent him down to Davey Jones
     All they found were a few scattered bones, And occasional pieces of skin, of skin, Occasional pieces of skin.
She set her sister's hair on fire sing rickety tickety tin :| And as the smoke and flame rose higher
     She danced around the funeral pyre, A playing a violin, olin, Yes, and playing a violin.
One day when she had nothing to do sing rickety tickety tin :| She cut her baby brother in two
     And served him up in an Irish stew, And invited the neighbors in, bors in, She invited the neighbors in.
And when at last the police arrived [sing rickety tickety tin] :| Her little pranks she did not deny
     To do so she would have had to lie, And lying she knew was a sin, a sin, Yes, and lying she knew was a sin.
There's just one thing before I go Sing rickety tickety tin :| There's something I think that you ought to know
     They had no proof, so they let her go, And now at the back door she's about to show
     And they say that she's tall and thin, and thin, They say that she's tall and thin.
My tragic tale I won't prolong [Sing rickety tickety tin] :| and if you haven't enjoyed my song
     It's yours to blame if it's gone on too long.....
     You should never have let me begin, begin You should never have let me begin.

Chrods:
Am . . Dm . . . Am . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Am . . Dm . . E . . . F . . . .G . . . .C . . . . . . . .Am .
Of a maid I'll sing a you song Sing rickety tickety tin . . Of a maid I'll sing you a song
     . . . . . .F . . . .G . . . . . . C . . . .Am . . . . . . Am . .Aaug . . Am7 . . . . .D
     Who didn't have her family long . . Not only did she do them wrong
     . . . . . . . . . F . . . G. . . . . . . . .Am. . . . .Dm . . . . . . . . . . .F . . . . G . . . . . . . .Am
     She did every one of them in, them in . . . . She did every one of them in.

*The above file is this author's own work and
represents his interpretation of this well-known
song. This file may only be used for private study,
scholarship, or research.